When the Green Bay Packers finalized the first version of their 53-man roster one of the moves going a bit underrated was the addition of free agent Jonnu Smith. The aging tight end was brought in to provide depth with backup Luke Musgrave injured to start the 2026 season. One could easily argue it is an upgrade that was long overdue, with Musgrave forced into a starting role a season ago and being unable to deliver anywhere close to expectations.
There is simply no way around the fact that the young tight end has been a bust when handed larger opportunties. Smith stepped into this void and quietly is giving the Packers a weapon Jordan Love is going to have an easy time taking advantage of. Smith is coming off an underwhelming season with the Pittsburgh Steelers offering only 222 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
It is easy to look at the final year of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh and excuse the ugly numbers due to a declining coaching staff runing an ugly offense. With this in mind, fans will look back to the previous two seasons when Smith provided 884 receiving yards with the Miami Dolphins and 582 receiving yards with the Atlanta Falcons.
Expectations shouldn't be producing these great numbers with Tucker Kraft clearly being a star at the position. However, it is very easy to argue that a 300-400 yard season, with a handful of big moments is on the way.
Packers Quietly Added Impact Weapon in Veteran Tight End Jonnu Smith
Love enjoys targeting the tight end position and Smith is an accomplished target more than capable of taking advantage of the stars around him. The pass catcher also has surprising quickness and can be lined up at receiver just as easily as he can be placed on the inside. Head coach Matt LaFleur never hesitates to dive into offensive creativity and the veteran is only going to expand this for the coach.
It is easy to be excited understanding that while Kraft and Christian Watson are demanding the best matchups the Packers have depth capable of making plays. Smith isn't the only pass catcher being poitned to here, with both Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden bolstering expectations of what is going to be accomplished in the 2026 season.
No question, Green Bay made a great decision brining in Smith and bolstering offensive depth ahead of what is expected to be a huge season for Love. One that is now going to include a handful of big moments from a tight end, who has proven himself more than capable of consistently delivering in far less talented rosters.
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